Equal Pay: Civil Servants

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had on the gender pay gap in the Civil Service.

Barbara Follett: In January this year, I met with ministerial colleagues to discuss the subject of equal pay in the public sector, including the civil service. Action from this meeting is still ongoing, and further ones are likely to be held on the same subject.

Vote Bundle

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many hon. Members have the vote bundle delivered to their office within the parliamentary estate.

Nick Harvey: 190 hon. and right hon. Members have elements of the Vote Bundle delivered to their offices at their request.

Olympic Games 2012: West Midlands

John Spellar: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the 2012 London Olympic Games on the Black Country.

Tessa Jowell: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are working to ensure that the benefits of 2012 reach across the UK. They have established a Nations and Regions Group (NRG) to oversee this work chaired by Charles Alien. The Black Country Consortium Ltd. is a key stakeholder on the West Midlands Leadership Group for the 2012 Games to ensure that the people of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton are fully engaged.
	The ODA has already awarded 26 contracts to companies registered in the west midlands including a number of black country businesses who have won contracts related to the regeneration programme around the Olympic Park.
	Black country businesses are being encouraged to sign up to the CompeteFor system through a series of business briefings being held across the west midlands region. Over 75 businesses attended the recent CompeteFor workshop held in the west midlands. Businesses in every constituency should be encouraged to sign up and get support to compete for and win contracts.
	Additionally, two facilities from the black country—Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton and the University of Wolverhampton—offering four sports/disciplines, are to be included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.

Flood Control: Felixstowe

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from  (a) local authorities and  (b) hon. and right hon. Members on the adequacy of Felixstowe's flood defences in the last five years; and what actions he took in response to such representations.

Phil Woolas: According to departmental records, in the last five years Suffolk Coastal district council have written to DEFRA about the adequacy of Felixstowe's flood defences on three occasions. Ministers have also held two meetings with the right hon. Member for Suffolk, Coastal on the adequacy of Felixstowe's flood defences during this period: in March 2006 with the then Secretary of State and in October 2006 with the then Minister of State.
	The issues associated with these representations were focused on the Felixstowe flood defences and no action was taken other than providing clarification of the procedures in place, since these provide a fair and transparent means of prioritising funding to projects.

Floods: Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 730W, on flood control: finance, for what reasons insurance companies do not have direct access to data from the national flood and coastal defence database.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency's National Flood and Coastal Defence Database contains some information about individuals such as names and addresses. Insurance companies are therefore not permitted direct access to this information as it falls under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	In order for insurance companies to have direct access, significant changes would have to be made to the database to ensure that access to personal information is limited.

Forests: International Cooperation

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's objectives are for the forthcoming G8 Environment Ministerial in Kobe, Japan; and whether he will be seeking an agreement to address illegal logging.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment (Hilary Benn) attended this meeting on 24 to 26 May.
	The three agenda items were climate change, biodiversity (covering illegal logging issues) and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). The meeting produced a Chair's Summary, as well as agreeing a '3R Action Plan' and a 'Call to Action on Biodiversity', linked to a 'G8 Forests Experts' Report on Illegal Logging' that includes a menu of actions for G8 members to address illegal logging collectively and individually. These documents are publicly available on the website of Japan's Ministry of the Environment.
	At the meeting, the UK made contributions on each of the three items.
	On climate change, the Secretary of State's overall aim was to give impetus to the G8 summit and to engage in dialogue with G8+8 countries on climate change issues. There was a positive discussion on long-term climate goals which should send an appropriately strong signal to the G8 summit and a good discussion on carbon markets, with several parties explaining their intentions on national cap and trade schemes. There was also agreement to a further dialogue—the Kobe process—which will provide a valuable forum for informal discussions with major emitters.
	On the 3Rs, the Secretary of State underlined the importance of improving resource efficiency and promoting more sustainable products and materials at national and international level. He pointed out that implementing the England Waste Strategy 2007 is expected to lead to an annual net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 9.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent, roughly the same as taking three million cars off the road each year. He stressed the need for strict compliance with the UN Basel Convention on the trans-boundary movement of waste, and for measures to promote environmentally sound ship recycling.
	On biodiversity, the Secretary of State in his interventions focused particularly on forestry and illegal logging, emphasising that improved forest governance is essential to deliver reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) as well as to maintain forest biodiversity. He also underlined the importance of working to achieve the 2010 biodiversity target and ensuring effective follow-up to that target.

Fuels: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government has taken to help pensioners to meet the cost of rising fuel prices.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 12 June 2008
	We are concerned about the impact of higher prices on vulnerable people including pensioners and we continue to encourage energy suppliers to adopt initiatives to mitigate their impact.
	In Budget 2008, the Government said they would like to see the amount energy suppliers spend on social programmes increase to at least £150 million a year over the period ahead. A new voluntary agreement has recently been signed individually with the six major energy suppliers to treble their investment on social programmes in the next three years, reaching collective investment of £150 million by 2010-11. This will take spend to £100 million in 2008-09, £125 million in 2009-10 and £150 million in 2010-11.
	In addition, winter fuel payments helped keep 11.7 million people warm in winter 2006-07 and Budget 2008 announced an additional one-off payment of £100 to over-80s households and £50 to over-60s households in 2008-09.
	Finally, in the recent Ofgem fuel poverty summit a number of new initiatives were announced to improve the way we identify and target those in fuel poverty, provide support to vulnerable customers to use the competitive market effectively and ensure that tariff differentials are fair and justified.

River Severn: Tidal Power

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1763W, on tidal power: River Severn, what assessment he has made of the independence of the companies awarded the contracts for feasibility studies; and what steps he has taken to ensure that those companies have no conflicts of interest.

Malcolm Wicks: As my answer of 15 May to the hon. Member made clear, tenders for the two contracts awarded so far as part of the Severn tidal power feasibility study—for a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and for advice on finance and ownership issues—were assessed against a number of criteria, including "the independence of the contractor and ensuring that there is no conflict of interest".
	Both the consortium led by Parsons Brinckerhoff and PricewaterhouseCoopers, to whom these contracts have respectively been awarded, made statements in their tenders to address this criterion. Their statements were probed at interview.
	In the case of PricewaterhouseCoopers, no issues arose that required further consideration. Parsons Brinckerhoff provided assurances that they have no financial interests in the success of any barrage or tidal lagoon option, including their work on the Shoots barrage proposal in 2006 and 2007. My Department considered that questions of conflict of interest might nevertheless remain and, to deal with these, Parsons Brinckerhoff were asked to agree to assign any rights they might hold in respect of this work to the Secretary of State on a royalty-free basis, which they have done. They have also agreed to waive any moral rights they might have in respect of such work.
	In addition, my Department is creating an independent panel of engineering experts to peer review the technical assessment of options the PB consortium is doing, with advice from the Royal Academy of Engineering and other professional institutes. Work delivered under the SEA contract will be published and publicly consulted on.
	With these measures in place, my Department is fully satisfied in the independence of the PB consortium.

Female Genital Mutilation: Prosecutions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2004.

Maria Eagle: There have been no prosecutions under the 2003 Act since it came into force in March 2004. However, the Act is designed to help to prevent this unacceptable practice from happening in the first place and anecdotal evidence suggests that it is doing this. It is also being used to raise awareness among relevant professionals including police forces and others in the Criminal Justice System and those involved with health care, social services and the education sector so that girls at risk can be identified. There is evidence that the law is being pursued vigorously. The Metropolitan Police Child Abuse Investigation Command, for example, has specifically targeted female genital mutilation and produced a comprehensive training pack which has been disseminated widely to London's schools and many other agencies. Ultimately, educating communities to abandon the practice is the best way forward to break the cycle of mutilation and the Act continues to be widely used for that purpose.

Juries

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many jury summons were issued in each of the last five years; and of these how many potential jurors were disqualified following the results of a Police National Computer Check.

Jack Straw: The following information outlines, on a year by year basis, the total number of jury summons issued and the number of potential jurors disqualified as a result of Police National Computer (PNC) checks.
	
		
			   Total jury summons issued  Potential jurors disqualified as a result of PNC checks 
			 2007 482,226 207 
			 2006 462,972 185 
			 2005 462,633 193 
			 2004 499,368 148 
			 2003 527,766 139

Prisoners Release: Reoffenders

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what categories of offences have been alleged to have been committed by prisoners recalled while on the End of Custody Licence scheme.

Jack Straw: Approximately 1 per cent. of offenders placed on End of Custody Licence have been reported to NOMS as having reoffended or alleged to have reoffended. Data on ECL release and recall which has been published monthly since the scheme began, can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence .htm.
	The categories of offences alleged to have been committed include: violence against the person, sexual offences, burglary, robbery, theft and handling, fraud and forgery, drug offences and motoring offences.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many universities require candidates for admission to undergraduate courses to sit an aptitude test; what his Department's policy is on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: HE admissions, including the use of entrance tests, are a matter for higher education institutions themselves. The Government do not have the power to direct institutions in the use of tests nor does it hold data centrally on admissions tests.
	The number and range of entrance tests has, however, recently been the subject of research by the Supporting Professionalism in Admissions programme of work, who found that a relatively small number of institutions use tests (14 per cent.) and only 0.43 per cent. of courses in the UCAS scheme—there has not been a great burgeoning in usage.
	It is a fundamental principle that universities should decide whom they should admit. It is important, however, that universities are open, clear and transparent about their admissions systems and policies.
	We do not want to see a proliferation of admissions tests for tests sake. We would be concerned if additional tests were to impose burdens that particularly affect applicants from under-represented groups and or schools that are less familiar with preparing leavers for higher education.

Higher Education: Student Wastage

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what research his Department  (a) has commissioned,  (b) plans to commission and  (c) has evaluated on the impact of top-up fees on university drop-out rates; when his Department last undertook a review of the matter that took into account (i) UK and (ii) international research; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Student retention rates at higher education institutions in this country compare very well internationally. The UK ranks fifth in the OECD for first degree completion rates, out of 23 countries who report data in this area. A university education is now open to more students than ever before and the Government is totally committed to providing opportunities for all people to achieve their potential and to maximise their talent. The improved student finance support package, from academic year 2008-09 onwards, demonstrates that commitment.
	It is too early to determine whether the introduction of variable tuition fees has had any impact on drop-out rates in higher education. The most recent information on the standard measure for non-completion dates from 2005-06, prior to the introduction of variable tuition fees in 2006-07. However, we will explore this issue further when more relevant data is available and feed this into the evidence base for the independent review of variable fees.
	
		
			  Table 1 :  Proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters at higher education institutions in England, who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution. 
			   Percentage 
			 2000-01 15.0 
			 2001-02 13.8 
			 2002-03 13.9 
			 2003-04 14.4 
			 2004-05 13.8 
			 2005-06 13.9 
			  Source:  Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. 
		
	
	The latest available information for higher education institutions in England is shown in Table 1.

Visual Arts

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment has been made by the Government of the impact of the EU Artists Resale Rights Directive 2001/84/EC on the UK art market.

David Lammy: The Government commissioned the Intellectual Properly Institute to produce an independent report on this issue. I refer the member to my written statement of 2 April 2008 (column 59-60WS).

Gambia: Health Services

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) type and  (b) value of aid his Department is giving to the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre in Gambia; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided funds to the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre in The Gambia.

Iraq: Christianity

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any estimate has been made of the number of Iraqi Christians  (a) displaced and  (b) killed since March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The United Nations High Commission for Refugee's (UNHCR) has registered some 280,000 Iraqi refugees throughout the region. Of the total registered, approximately 42,000 are Christians.
	The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) estimates that out of an assessment of over a million individuals, approximately 55,000 are Iraqi Christians who have been internally displaced since 22 February 2006.
	We do not have an estimate of the number of Iraqi Christians killed since March 2003.
	It is not the UK's policy to provide direct assistance to any particular religious group in Iraq. Rather, we channel our assistance through established international organisations, notably the UN, with the mandate to provide protection to all refugees regardless of ethnicity or religion. We are committed to alleviating the humanitarian situation, both for internally displaced people in Iraq and for Iraqi refugees in the region. We have committed over £149 million in humanitarian assistance to international agencies working in Iraq and the region since 2003—including £17 million for this year.

Malawi: Agriculture

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to continue the support by his Department of the subsidy for the purchase of seed and fertiliser in Malawi for farmers.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government are providing £20 million to support the Government of Malawi's inputs and maize markets programme over four years (2007-2011), and indirectly about £5 million of support goes to agriculture and the inputs programme through DFID Poverty Reducing Budget Support.
	As our support for the Inputs and maize markets programme nears an end, we will review the programme in the light of Government of Malawi plans for the future. The President of Malawi has stated publicly that there should be a review of the programme after the election in 2009.

Playing Fields: Planning Permission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will break down by region the sites where planning applications relating to playing fields were accepted on sites that Sport England considered resulted in a detrimental impact to sport, in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many planning applications relating to playing fields were accepted on sites that Sport England considered  (a) resulted in a detrimental impact to sport and  (b) did not result in an improvement to sport, in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has provided the following information on the number of planning applications which  (a) resulted in a detrimental impact to sport, and  (b) did not result in an improvement to sport since, 2001. Sport England does not hold this information by region nor do they hold central records relating to this prior to 2001.
	
		
			   Applications 
			 2001-02 52 
			 2002-03 76 
			 2003-04 52 
			 2004-05 47 
			 2005-06 40

Public Libraries: Opening Hours

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public libraries were open for more than 60 hours per week in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 13 June 2008
	According to the "Public Library Statistics" published by The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, in England there were seven library service points open for more than 60 hours per week in 1996-97and there were 97 in 2006-07.

Tourism: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what method his Department uses to estimate the level of local authority expenditure on tourism; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Figures for local authority tourism spending in England are derived from returns made by individual authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
	Each year, local authorities in England report a breakdown of their revenue budgets for the forthcoming year in April and their revenue outturn for the previous year in July. All authorities are required to complete the forms and DCLG achieves a 100 per cent. response rate.
	According to DCLG's guidance to local authorities (Guidance Note RO6 on completing the General Fund Revenue Account Outturn for Cultural, Environmental and Planning Services), the following activities should be reported as tourism spending:
	Marketing and policy—the marketing, development and promotion of tourism in the area concerned; the promotion and advertisement of the area to potential visitors; contributions to Regional Tourist Boards; grants and loans given to support organisations offering attractions or other tourist-related facilities; the provision of tourist conference facilities; and tourist research:
	Visitor information—tourist maps and guides, "what's on" leaflets, etc.;
	Visitor centres—Tourist information Offices, Centres and Bureaux, and/or dedicated tourism staff for the provision of information to visitors.
	An analysis of local authority tourism spending, along with other elements of public sector tourism funding, forms part of the present Tourism Framework Review, which is being led by VisitBritain. The review is expected to report: in July.

Departmental Information Officers

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) press or communication officers his Department has hired and  (b) contracts for such services have been agreed in the last three months, broken down by Civil Service grade.

Meg Munn: The following response for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) includes information from FCO Services—a trading fund of the FCO.
	In the last three months, two press or communication officers have been appointed. No further details can be provided, as to do so would allow these individuals to be identified.
	It is possible that locally engaged press or communication officers have been hired within the last three months by the FCO's missions overseas, enabling us to engage better with people and governments from other countries. However this information is not monitored centrally so it would incur disproportionate cost to collate.
	No further contracts for press and communication services have been agreed in the last three months.

International Atomic Energy Agency

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK plans to make a financial contribution to support the introduction of the system for programme support and the international public sector accounting standards at the International Atomic Energy Agency, as referred to in the Director General's Introductory Statement to the Board of Governors in Vienna on 2nd June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK supports the proposed Agency-wide Information System for Programme Support (AIPS), which is necessary for the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Funding mechanisms are still being explored within the IAEA Board of Governors; possibilities include making efficiencies within the IAEA, retention of part of the 2007 cash surplus, or voluntary donations by member states. There is no plan for the UK to make a financial contribution while this debate is ongoing.

Voting Rights: Females

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to encourage the enfranchisement of women in countries that do not allow women to vote.

Meg Munn: Saudi Arabia currently prohibits women from voting but has indicated that it will end its legal prohibition on women's suffrage in 2009, when women will be allowed to vote in local elections for the first time (men were given the right in 2005). In addition there are countries across the world where neither women nor men vote because there is no electoral process or where women cannot fully exercise their right to vote because structural barriers prevent them from doing so.
	The Government believe that elections play a key role in determining the democratic legitimacy of a government. The increased participation of women and other under-represented groups will improve democracy as well as contributing to security and prosperity.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has supported several projects in recent years to increase the participation of women in politics in predominantly Islamic countries.
	The FCO's new Strategic Programme Fund will also support projects to promote the rights of women and address the structural causes that prevent women's participation in public and political life.

Asylum: Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2008,  Official Report, column 611W, on immigration: housing, what schemes to help prevent homelessness have been included in the reimbursement package in respect of individuals and families dealt with under the legacy exercise; what the budget is for such schemes; how much has been paid to local authorities by way of reimbursement; and which local authorities have  (a) submitted claims and  (b) been reimbursed.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has worked with local authorities to develop local solutions to mitigate any potential impacts of the work to clear the backlog of older cases. The precise nature of any schemes adopted by authorities is a commercial matter between them and the providers with whom they deal.
	There is no separate budget for any element of the support being offered to local authorities as a result of the legacy exercise. UKBA is expected to contain expenditure on such support within its overall budget for accommodating asylum-seekers.
	No amounts have yet been paid to local authorities. The following authorities have registered claims at 3 June:
	Barnsley
	Blackburn
	Bolton
	Bradford
	Bury
	Calderdale
	Cardiff
	Derby
	Glasgow
	Hounslow Leeds
	Leicester
	Manchester
	Newport (Gwent)
	North Tyneside
	Oldham
	Rochdale
	Rotherham
	Sandwell
	Sheffield.
	The Home Affairs Select Committee is due to be updated with progress on work to clear the backlog of older cases later this month.

Immigrants: Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2008,  Official Report, column 342W, on immigration: housing, what criteria have been established for  (a) items of expenditure incurred by local authorities and  (b) an agreed cohort of supported families cases.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency has issued instructions to local authorities as to the nature of expenditure which can be reclaimed.

Immigration: Uniforms

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1261W, on Border and Immigration Agency: uniforms, when she will write to the hon. Member for Ashford.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 10 January 2008
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 28 May 2008.

Local Authorities: Asylum

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1798W, on local authorities: asylum, what funding her Department allocated from the Transitional Costs Fund in 2007-08, broken down by recipient local authority; how much has been allocated from the Fund for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 June 2008
	The UK Border Agency is making available to local authorities limited sums from existing budgets in order to allow them to deal with additional transitory expenditure which they incur as a result of UKBA's programme to deal with outstanding claims for asylum. No payments have yet been made to local authorities. No funds have been allocated for 2009-10. The Home Affairs Select Committee is due to be updated later this month on the progress of the work to clear the backlog of older cases.

Offensive Weapons: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce knife crime in the West Midlands.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 June 2008
	 The Government are implementing a range of actions to tackle knife crime across England and Wales:
	On 5 June, the Government announced that anyone over the age of 16 caught in possession of a knife should expect to be prosecuted on the first offence. Those under 16 who commit offences without aggravating factors can still expect to receive a warning coupled with referral to a knife education scheme to help them understand the dangers and consequences of carrying knives, and reduce the chances of reoffending.
	The Home Office also announced a targeted programme on the Tackling Gangs Action Programme model, working with police forces and local authority partners to tackle knife crime. 2 million has been allocated to support police partnerships in specific areas, including the West Midlands, which will include:
	Increased use of searches, in targeted and intelligence-led operations, to complement the 100 new portable knife arches and 350 search wands brought in over the last three months.
	Fast-tracking the 'knife referral project' in which all young people convicted of a knife offence but not receiving a custodial sentence attend a course to bring home the consequences of knife crime
	Home visits and letters to parents of those young people whom intelligence suggests are known to carry weapons.
	We are ensuring that the police have access to detection equipment through the provision of an additional 100 search arches and 400 search 'wands' this year, and we will provide additional equipment beyond this according to need.
	We are working with the Youth Justice Board to ensure that young people convicted of knife offences receive focused interventions to change their behaviour and prevent them from reoffending.
	In addition to focused local action, we launched on 29 May a knife marketing campaign investing 3 million over three years aimed at reducing youth knife possession. Developed by young people, the message It doesn't have to happen is being conveyed through posters, radio ads, viral video sharing and social networking sites. The campaign also focuses on engaging with mothers to encourage them to talk to their children about the dangers of carrying knives.

Police: Public Appointments

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the adequacy of the advice given by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to police authority appointment panels for senior police posts.

Tony McNulty: The role of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary in the appointment process is a consultative one and they will provide advice to the police authority on the candidates as well as assessing candidates. They are selected for their experience in policing, are independent and report to the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, who in turn reports to me/my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

Pornography: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps she plans to take to prevent producers of child sexual abuse images from hopping servers.

Vernon Coaker: The Government encourage people who are inadvertently exposed to child abuse images to report the URL to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). 95 per cent, of consumer broadband connections are now covered by blocking, based on the IWF's list of known child sexual abuse URLs. Since 2004, blocking of these sites on consumer broadband in the UK has gone from nothing to 95 per cent. thanks to the work carried out by industry and the IWF. The number of sites hosted in the UK, potentially containing child abuse images is less 0.4 per cent., down from 18 per cent. in 1997.
	There are difficulties in removing sites which originate outside of the UK's jurisdiction. The IWF 2007 annual report shows the longevity of some child sexual abuse sites and how they avoid detection by moving servers. This is a challenge for law enforcement because these sites hop between jurisdictions to avoid being closed down.
	This issue might be taken up by the new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).

Terrorism: Detainees

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been detained on suspicion of terrorist or related offences but were released by the police or security services because they were not able to compile enough evidence to charge them within the 28-day period allowed for detention without charge within the Metropolitan Police Authority in the last two years.

Tony McNulty: To date, 11 individuals have been held for over 14 days pre-charge detention, six individuals were held for the maximum 27-28 days, of which three individuals were charged, and three individuals were released without charge.
	Nine out of the 11 individuals were arrested in August 2006, following Operation Overt the disruption of an alleged plot to target aircraft. This led to six individuals being charged, and three were released, one individual was charged on the 27-28 day of detention following his arrest in a counter terrorist operation led by Greater Manchester Police in August 2006. one individual was charged on the 18-19 day of detention following his arrest in relation to the incidents in London and Glasgow in June-July 2007.
	
		
			  Period of detention  Number of persons held  Charged  Released without charge 
			 14-15 days 1 1  
			 18 -19 days 1 1  
			 19-20 days 3 3  
			 27-28 days 6 3 3

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office Welsh language scheme came into effect in January 2002 and is in the process of being revised. Although no recent assessment has been made of the level of demand for the service the Department does abide by the principles of the 1993 Welsh Language Act and seeks to ensure that it makes Welsh language versions of published materials available whenever appropriate.

Written Questions

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she expects to reply to the hon. Member for Ashford as referred to in the answer of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1284W, on Members: written questions;
	(2)  with reference to the answers of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 1284-85W, on Muktar Ibrahim, when she will write to the hon. Member for Ashford.

Liam Byrne: h olding answers 29 November 2007 and 14 January 2008
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 11 June 2008.

Revenue and Customs: Closures

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had on the closure of HM Revenue and Customs offices Portcullis House and Tyler's House in Southend-on Sea; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: As the Minister with departmental responsibility for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) I hold regular discussions with HMRC officials about their estate rationalisation plans.

Revenue and Customs: Job Satisfaction

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of levels of job satisfaction of HM Revenue and Customs' staff employed in Southend-on-Sea in each year since 1997; what assessment he has made of trends in such levels; if he will place in the Library copies of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs conduct a staff survey twice yearly covering 20,000 to 30,000 staff. The most recent results are published on the Department's external website and are available for viewing. Information is not available on a location specific basis but results are analysed by business stream.
	HMRC is committed to taking action to build on the positive responses in the survey and address the areas where improvement is needed.

Taxation: Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2008,  Official Report, column 971W, on taxation: trade unions 
	(1)  whether the political levy element of the subscription fee to the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), for members who have not opted out of the political fund of the trade union, is eligible for tax relief under the Section 344 scheme;
	(2)  whether the entire trade union subscription for members of the National Union of Teachers is eligible for tax relief under the Section 344 scheme.

Jane Kennedy: Tax relief under section 344 Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 may be restricted if only a proportion of the activities of the body are directed to helping members maintain or enhance their ability to perform the duties of their employment. For example, if part of the income received as annual subscriptions from members is directed to a political fund then that will be a factor taken into account in determining what part of the annual subscription may be deducted.
	Only two-thirds of the annual subscription fees paid for membership of the NASUWT and the NUT are eligible for tax relief to exclude the proportion of the fee relating to activities that are not directed to qualifying activities.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2042W.
	As a result of the low levels of activity, Communities and Local Government do not routinely record international mail costs separately from inland mail. Upon investigation we have identified a spend of 399.99 between May 2007 and May 2008 for international mail and this is administered by Corporate Mailing Services (CMS), a private company which is used by MITIE Document Solutions. CMS is the trading name of Royale Research Ltd.

European Union Solidarity Fund

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when local authorities will receive the funds allocated from the EU Solidarity Fund to help with flood recovery; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government were able to set up a Restoration Fund of 30.6 million for English local authorities affected by last summer's floods to support their continued efforts to rebuild their communities, following our successful bid to the European Union Solidarity Fund. This money is on top of up to 88 million already made available to flood-hit areas to help them get back on their feet.
	Communities and Local Government have consulted local authorities on how to allocate the Restoration Fund. Local authorities are currently being asked to supply data on the costs they have incurred.
	It is my intention to make announcements on funding allocations before the parliamentary summer recess.

Housing: Construction

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of the downturn in the housing market on the number of planning applications for substantive new housing developments.

Iain Wright: No specific assessment has been made, however the Department does publish a quarterly National Statistics release on planning applications, decisions, enforcement activity, minerals and waste planning decisions at England, regional and local authority levels. The latest release published on 28 March 2008 can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningand building/pdf/732759.pdf

Repossession Orders

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been repossessed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The Department does not collect information on mortgage possessions although information for the United Kingdom as a whole, rather than regions or local authority areas, is published by the Council of Mortgage lenders. This data is available on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/3AP4.xls?ref=2753

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Regional Spatial Strategies are required to set targets for Traveller pitches.

Parmjit Dhanda: Local planning authorities are required to assess the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in the same way that they assess the housing needs of other members of their local communities.
	Local planning authorities do this through Gypsy and Travellers Accommodation Assessments (GTAAs). The GTAAs inform the preparation of policies in the draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).
	The RSS identifies the number of pitches required (but not the location), it is for local planning authorities to consider the location of the pitches required for their area, possibly in conjunction with neighbouring local planning authorities.

Skill Force

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on initiatives in the city of Nottingham by Skill Force to use the talents of retired military personnel.

Derek Twigg: Skill Force, an MOD initiated projectset up in 2000 and since April 2005 is as originally intended a fully divested registered charity, is involved in three schools in the city of Nottingham. They have a school team of five instructors, of which four are ex-service personnel and are currently in Hadden Park School, William Sharpe School, and Hayward School.
	Skill Force are seeking to expand to cover five schools in the city from September of this year.

Afghanistan

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The security situation in Afghanistan is stable, if fragile, in places. The Afghan National Army and troops from the 40-nation International Security Assistance Force have achieved significant tactical success against the Taliban in 2007 and early 2008.

Afghanistan

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The security situation in Afghanistan is stable, if fragile, in places. The Afghan National Army and troops from the 40-nation International Security Assistance Force have achieved significant tactical success against the Taliban in 2007 and early 2008.

Aircraft Carriers

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to sign the final contract for new aircraft carriers.

Bob Ainsworth: As we announced on 20 May, we stand ready to sign the manufacture contracts for the new aircraft carriers once the Joint Venture between BAE Systems and VT Group completes. We welcome the announcement made by the companies last week, that they have reached final agreement on the formation of this joint venture and that, subject to approval by VTs shareholders, they expect the new company to begin operations at the start of July 2008.

Ammunition: International Cooperation

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Government have played in securing international agreement on the banning of cluster munitions.

Des Browne: In November 2006, HMG made the decision to take the lead, internationally, in addressing the humanitarian concerns posed by certain types of cluster munitions.
	Since this date the UK has been actively engaged with the convention on conventional weapons (CCW) and in February 2007 decided also to join the 'Oslo' process to drive this issue forward and secure the best possible humanitarian effect.
	In March 2007 the UK took the initiative and withdrew from service two types of cluster munition believed to inflict 'unacceptable harm'the first country to do so after the Oslo conference.
	Consistently HMG's position on this issue has been made clear and was conveyed in the Prime Minister's speech in the mansion House in November 2007 and his statement during the 'Oslo' process conference in Dublin on 28 May 2008.
	As one of 46 nations to support the 'Oslo' process from the outset, HMG is delighted with the outcome of the Dublin Conference. A joint FCO, MOD and DfID team has worked very hard to secure a strong convention that addressed the key humanitarian concerns.
	In advance of the convention entering into force the UK has once again led by example by ceasing use of cluster munitions with immediate effect and starting the programme to have them removed from service.
	While this has resulted in some additional capability risk, this has been assessed as manageable and acceptable against the benefit in delivering both a strong humanitarian effect and legitimacy within the convention.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) target and  (b) actual recruitment to the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy, and (iii) Royal Air Force was in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the recruitment targets form 2000-01 to 2007-08 and the actual recruitment from 1997-98 to 2007-08 to the UK regular(1) forces by service.
	
		
			1997-98( 4)  1998-99( 4)  1999-2000( 4)  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 All services Intake(2) 23,510 26,000 25,550 23,020 23,720 26,350 23,540 17,590 18,150 (5)19,790 (5)21,310 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 25,490 23,340 25,340 23,270 18,270 18,840 19,870 21,900 
			  
			 Navy Intake(2) 4,600 4,770 4,950 4,620 5,010 5,220 4,120 3,690 3,940 (5)3,770 (5)3,860 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 4,840 5,040 5,060 4,160 3,750 3,930 4,030 4,260 
			  
			 Army Intake(2) 15,380 16,990 16,500 14,770 14,930 16,690 15,260 11,720 12,730 (5)14,300 (5)14,520 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 16,670 14,160 15,270 14,490 12,250 73,400 13,950 14,550 
			  
			 RAF Intake(2) 3,530 4,250 4,100 3,630 3,780 4,450 4,160 2,180 1,480 1,720 (5)2,930 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 3,980 4,140 5,000 4,610 2,210 7,500 1,890 3,080 
			 n/a = not available (1) UK regular forces includes nursing services and excludes full time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel. (2) Actual recruitment (intake from civilian life) figures are taken from table 3 in TSP1, the latest edition is available at www.dasa.mod.uk. (3) Recruitment target figures have been provided by the single services. (4) Recruitment targets are not available pre financial year 2000-01. (5) Denotes provisional and subject to review due to ongoing data validation of the joint personnel administration system (JPA).  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DASA (Quad-Service)

Caribbean: Navy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy ships are serving in the Caribbean on counter-narcotics operations.

Bob Ainsworth: The Royal Navy has deployed one Frigate and one Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tanker to the Caribbean for the 2008 Hurricane season June 2008 to November 2008. Outside of the core hurricane season, the RN deploys one Royal Fleet Auxiliary 'Bay' Class Landing Ship Dock. In both instances, the primary roles of the ships are to provide reassurance to the Overseas Territories as well as Humanitarian and Disaster relief training to local organisations, and Humanitarian and Disaster relief as co-ordinated with FCO and DFID. Concurrently, RN units contribute to the counter-narcotics and all periods at sea are devoted to Maritime Security in the round.

EU Defence Policy

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's policy is on the UK's participation in a standing EU armed force.

Des Browne: There is no standing EU armed force and no plans for one.

Gibraltar Service Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what direct consultations his Department has had with the Gibraltar Service Police Staff Association about the future of  (a) the Gibraltar dockyard and  (b) the Gibraltar Service Police; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: There have been no consultations with the Gibraltar Services Police Staff Association (GSPSA) on the future of the Gibraltar dockyard. HQ British Forces Gibraltar issued for consultation the terms of reference document for the Gibraltar Policing and Security Review to the GSPSA and other interested parties on 4 June 2007. They responded on 19 June 2007 and conduct of the review commenced on 20 June 2007. The GSPSA have been kept informed on the progress of the review. Should the review determine an option that changes the current status or structure of the Gibraltar Services Police, then the normal process of consultation will take place in line with standard departmental procedures.

Gibraltar Service Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations his Department held on the proposed transfer of the Gibraltar Service Police (GSP) to the Royal Gibraltar Police with the GSP Chief Police Officer through  (a) the Headquarters of the British Forces GIB security review and  (b) any other means; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Department has not, yet, reached any decision on the future of the GSP. Accordingly, there have been no consultations with the GSP Chief Police Officer on the transfer of the GSP to the Royal Gibraltar Police. Over the past year both incumbents of the GSP Chief Officer post have been actively engaged in the security review.

Departmental Security

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have been dismissed from his Department as a consequence of a breach of security in the last three years.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 12 June 2008
	Information on number of staff that have been dismissed as a consequence of a breach of security is not available in the format requested.
	Since April 2007, when the new personal computer system was introduced, disciplinary action for breaches of security has been recorded under general headings of computer misuse or disclosure of information. There are currently no records held on the system for dismissals on grounds of computer misuse or disclosure of information.
	To extract more detailed information from individual records under this category would be at disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects on recipients of reducing the length of time for which pension tax credit may be backdated from 12 to three months.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 9 June 2008
	 The Department has conducted an equality impact assessment in respect of the proposed changes to the time for claiming pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit for those of pension credit age from 12 to three months and the proposed change to the backdating period allowed within housing benefit and council tax benefit for working age customers from 52 weeks to three months. The equality impact assessment has been published on the Department for Work and Pensions website and can be accessed using the following link.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/PC-HB-CTB-EIA-Apr08.pdf

Post Office Card Account

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the Pensions Service is informing individual state pension claimants in correspondence that the Post Office Card Account service will no longer be available from 2010; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 June 2008
	While the existing Post Office card account contract ends in March 2010, there will be a successor product, and DWP are in the process of tendering for a supplier.
	I am aware of a recent occasion where an individual customer was mistakenly given incomplete information and we are writing to the person concerned to apologise.

Social Security Benefits

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people who will flow onto the employment and support allowance in each of the next five years he estimates will be claiming the benefit by the  (a) income channel and  (b) contribution channel;
	(2)  how many people he estimates will flow onto  (a) the support channel and  (b) the work channel of the employment and support allowance in each of the next five years;
	(3)  how many people he estimates will flow on to the work channel of the employment and support allowance and be claiming the benefit by  (a) the income channel and  (b) the contribution channel in the next five years;
	(4)  how many people he expects will flow onto the support channel of the employment and support allowance and be claiming the benefit by  (a) the income channel and  (b) the contribution channel.

James Plaskitt: holding answers 10 June and 11 June 2008
	We expect 10 per cent. of new employment and support allowance customers will flow into the support group, and 90 per cent of new employment and support allowance customers will flow into the work related activity group.
	Information is available up to the end of the Government's spending plan period, to 2010-11. The information is summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance: Estimated benefit onflows 
			  Thousand 
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Employment and support allowance 280 580 600 
			 Of which:
			 Income-based only 140 290 300 
			 Contributory only 130 265 275 
			 Both 10 25 25 
			 
			 Work related activity group 250 520 540 
			 Of which:
			 Income-based only 125 260 270 
			 Contributory only 115 240 250 
			 Both 10 25 25 
			 
			 Support group 30 60 60 
			 Of which:
			 Income-based only 15 30 30 
			 Contributory only 15 25 30 
			 Both Negligible 5 5 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for 2008-09 relate to six months only; ESA will be introduced in October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five thousand. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding. 3. Figures are consistent with benefit expenditure tables available on the DWP website through the following link: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp

State Retirement Pensions

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost which would arise from (a) increasing the state pension by (i) 10 per cent., (ii) 25 per cent., by 50 per cent. and (iv) 100 per cent. and (b) setting the state pension at the average level of other EU member states.

Mike O'Brien: The net additional cost of increasing the basic state pension by 10 per cent, 25 per cent, 50 per cent or 100 per cent. instead of the current baseline assumption of RPI or 2.5 per cent, whichever is the highest, in the year 2009-10 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Uprating the basic state pension in 2009-10 by: per cent.  Net additional annual cost in 2009-10 ( billion, 2008-09 prices) 
			 10 2.7 
			 25 8.7 
			 50 18.8 
			 100 39.7 
			  Notes:  1. Estimates are presented in net terms reflecting that the estimated savings from reduced income related benefit payments (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) have been deducted. The proportions of additional expenditure saved through reduced income related benefit payments have been estimated using the Department's policy simulation model and are assumed to remain constant over time.  2. In the baseline costing for the financial year 2009/10 Treasury Economic assumptions consistent with Budget 2008 have been used to model basic State Pension uprating.  3.Estimates are in 2008-09 prices and have been rounded to the nearest 100 million.   Source:   DWP modelling 
		
	
	Data is not available to make a direct comparison of the UK state pension level with that of the average level of other EU member states. The level of state pensions in each country reflects differences in factors, such as Government policy choices and the cost of living, making cross-country comparisons difficult. However, Eurostat data indicates that taking into account all sources of income, UK pensioners have the fifth highest median net income in the EU.

Civil Service: Conditions of Employment

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department has made an assessment of the merits of introducing a results-only work environment within the Civil Service.

Tom Watson: Civil Service pay awards reflect an individual's outputs, results and performance rather than hours worked or presence at the workplace. Under the delegated arrangements for staff below the Senior Civil Service, departments and agencies must have reward systems that include a close and effective link between pay and performance. For the Senior Civil Service, for whom pay is managed by the Cabinet Office, non-consolidated payments, which have to be earned each year, are used to incentivise staff to deliver business objectives successfully.

Abortion

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of providing an abortion on the NHS was in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The average cost of providing an abortion on the national health service in 2006-071 was 650.
	 Source:
	1. Data from NHS Reference Costs. Data for 2007-08 are due to be published in December 2008.

Air Ambulance Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what personnel make up an air ambulance team; and which personnel are funded by the NHS;
	(2)  what percentage of air ambulances are staffed by personnel funded by the NHS.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on personnel that make up an air ambulance team is not collected centrally.
	The Government appreciate that air ambulances have a role in delivering emergency care, but is also aware that they are very expensive to operate and that past research failed to show that they were strong candidates to be funded wholly from finite national health service resources. In view of these factors, and to strike an appropriate balance, the NHS has, since 1 April 2002, normally met the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances. However, the exact make up of such funded clinical staff will be a matter for the NHS and the air ambulance charities to agree locally.

Ambulance Services: Heart Diseases

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) stroke and  (b) heart attack patients died on a journey to hospital in an ambulance in each year since 1997; and how long each journey was in (i) miles and (ii) minutes.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The ambulance response data that are collected centrally, and which include the number of emergency calls received by ambulance trusts across England and their performances against the targets set, is published annually. The latest statistical bulletin, 'Ambulance Services, England, 2006-07' was published in June 2007 and copies are available in the Library.

Departmental Electricity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total quantity of electricity in kilowatts consumed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies was in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: In the last five years the total quantity of electricity kilowatts consumed by the Department were:
	
		
			   kilowatts 
			 2002-03 13,779,000 
			 2003-04 13,914,000 
			 2004-05 14,219,000 
			 2005-06 13,469,000 
			 2006-07 12,340,000 
		
	
	The Department's agencies consumed:
	
		
			   kilowatts 
			 2002-03 593,896 
			 2003-04 578,984 
			 2004-05 580,332 
			 2005-06 640,780 
			 2006-07 2,371,986 
		
	
	The information in this answer covers the Department's central London administrative estate of Richmond House, Wellington House and Skipton House. The Department is a minor occupier in New Kings Beam House HM Revenue and Customs and Quarry House in Leeds Department for Work and Pensions and the data for these sites is not available to us. Reductions in 2005-06 and 2006-07 are due to the closure of two London buildings, Eileen House and Hannibal House.
	For the Department's agencies this answer provides data on two agencies, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency. MHRA do not have data relating to electricity consumption prior to 2007, hence the larger figure for 2006-07. The data supplied for NHS PASA relates to electricity consumed at their Reading, Chester and Sheffield sites.
	The overall reduction in the Departmental administrative estate represents a reduction in CO(2) emissions in line with our commitment to climate change objectives.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by Senior Civil Service staff in his Department and its agencies in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not routinely analyse staff expenses by grade of staff as this is not a requirement of our statutory reporting. A considerable manual exercise would need to be undertaken to separate the expenses of each member of the Senior Civil Service from those of other staff in order to provide this information. Such an exercise would incur disproportionate costs.
	Similarly, information by grade on the expenses of staff employed in the Department's agencies is not routinely collected.
	Departments and agencies have authority to reimburse expenses incurred by their staff in connection with their employment, subject to the conditions set out in section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code which state that departments and agencies must:
	reimburse staff only for expenses which they actually and necessarily incur in the course of official business;
	comply with the additional conditions and rules on travel, relocation expenses, compensation for loss or damage to property, and overseas expenses set out in sections 8.2 to 8.6 of the Code; and
	ensure that their rules provide for claiming recompense, including verification and authorisation.

Departmental Pay

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of employees in his Department who received a performance-related bonus at their last appraisal were  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The figures requested are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Group  Number receiving bonuses  Proportion of bonuses to this group (percentage) 
			 Males 95 59.0 
			 Females 66 41.0 
			 Ethnic minorities(1) 6 4.3 
			 Disabled(2) 10 6.8 
			 All recipients of bonuses 161 100 
			 (1) Where ethnicity is recorded.  (2) Where disabled status is recorded.   Notes:   1. Ethnicity type is unknown in 21 cases where bonuses were awarded.  2. Disability status is unknown in 15 cases where bonuses were awarded. 
		
	
	Information on civil servants sexual orientation is not currently collected or published.

General Practitioners: Finance

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future levels of spending in GP surgeries, with particular reference to services for hard to reach vulnerable patients.

Ben Bradshaw: We are committed to working with general practitioners (GPs) to reduce health inequalities and to improve access to services, particularly for hard to reach vulnerable patients. Our new contract introduced in 2004 saw record investment in primary medical carean extra 2.7 billion since 2002-03.
	Through NHS Employers, we have been consulting the British Medical Association on a package of investment of up to 100 million through existing GP practices to further improve care and services for patients, this will included targeted improvements especially for vulnerable patients such as those with severe learning difficulties.

London Airports

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times his Department hired VIP facilities at  (a) Heathrow,  (b) Gatwick,  (c) Luton and  (d) Stansted airports in each month since May 2006; and what the expenditure on VIP facilities at each was in each of those months.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not record the hire of VIP facilities. To collect the information requested would incur disproportionate costs.
	Details of the cost of overseas travel for Cabinet Ministers, including the cost of travel and accommodation are contained in the Overseas Travel by Cabinet Ministers list. The latest list for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 was published on 25 July 2007 and is available at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers.aspx
	Details of the cost of overseas travel for all Ministers for the 2007-08 financial year will be published shortly.
	All ministerial travel is made in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Travel for staff and special advisers is made in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code. Copi

Monitor: Public Appointments

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members of the board of Monitor are; and what the professional expertise of each is.

Ben Bradshaw: The board members of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS foundation trusts) are listed as follows along with their professional biographies:
	 Dr. William Moyes (Executive Chairman)
	Dr. Moyes was previously Director-General of the British Retail Consortium from 2000-03 and Head of the Infrastructure Investments Department at the Bank of Scotland. He joined the British Linen Bank (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank of Scotland) in 1994. Before that, he held a variety of posts in the Scottish Office, including Director of Strategy and Performance Management in the Management Executive of the national health service in Scotland. He joined the civil service in 1974 in the then Department of the Environment and was a member of the Economic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office between 1980 and 1983;
	 Mr. Christopher Mellor (Deputy Chairman)
	Mr. Mellor is also Non-Executive Chairman of Water Services in Northern Ireland and is Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Grontmij UK Ltd., the consulting engineers' firm. He retired as Chief Executive of Anglian Water Group plc in March 2003, after 13 years with the company. Previously he was a Non-Executive Director of Addenbrooke's NHS Trust between 1994 and 1998, where he was Chair of the Audit Committee. Chris Mellor was also a member of the Government's Advisory Committee on Business in the Environment;
	 Mr. Stephen Thornton (Non-Executive Director)
	Stephen Thornton is Chief Executive of The Health Foundation, which is an independent healthcare charitable foundation working to improve the quality of healthcare in the UK. He has held various senior executive NHS management and board positions over the last 15 years. He was Chief Executive of Cambridge and Huntingdon Health Authority from 1993 to 1997, and Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation from 1997 to 2001. He was a Commissioner on the Board of the Healthcare Commission from February 2004 until July 2006;
	 Baroness Elaine Murphy (Non-Executive Director)
	Baroness Elaine Murphy is a clinician by background and was Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at Guys and St' Thomas's Hospitals 1983 to 1996. At the time she also held an NHS general management position. Over the last 12 years she has held a wide range of executive/non-executive board positions covering a wide range of areas including the voluntary sector and the Mental Health Act Commission. She was Chair of the North East London Strategic Health Authority until 30 June 2006. She is also Chair of St. George's Medical School and sits in the House of Lords as a crossbencher; and
	 Ms Jude Goffe (Non-Executive Director)
	A venture capital and corporate advisor, Ms Goffe is also a trustee of the King's Fund. She has previously served as a Non-Executive Director of the Independent Television Commission and a Non-Executive Director of Moorfields Eye Hospital Trust from 1994-2004. Ms Goffe also chaired the trust's Audit and Commercial Services Committees and was a member of its Remuneration Committee. Between 1984 and 1991 she was employed by the 3i Group plc in a number of investment roles, culminating in the position of Investment Director. Ms Goffe is a chartered accountant by profession.

NHS: Finance

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS funding was provided per capita in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) England in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Information in the exact format requested is not collected in the audited accounts but can be derived from other information held centrally.
	The following table shows the revenue resource limits (RRLs) per capita for Suffolk and England, for the years 2002-03 to 2006-07, which are the latest years for which these data are available by individual health body.
	
		
			   per head 
			   Suffolk( 1)  England( 2) 
			 2002-03 (3)786.04 959.39 
			 2003-04 855.91 1,075.42 
			 2004-05 981.09 1,228.80 
			 2005-06 1,020.67 1,325.87 
			 2006-07 1,091.88 1,397.55 
			 (1) Figures for SuffolkRRL data for 2002-03 to 2006-07 relate to all PCTs in Suffolk and take account of any adjustments made to initial allocations, including both topslice and repayment of topslice. (2) England: RRL data for 2002-03 to 2006-07 relates to all health authorities and PCTs. (3) As 2002-03 population figures were not available we have used 2001-02 population data as a proxy.  Note: The figures represent expenditure by the particular commissioners within the areas specified. This does not include all health related expenditure as pharmaceutical services and most general dental services expenditure is not accounted for by commissioners.  Sources: Audited primary care trust (PCT) summarisation schedules 2002-03 to 2006-07 Unweighted population figures Department of Health Allocations Branch

NHS: Private Sector

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector, whether there is a  (a) legislative and  (b) other basis for the principle that an individual cannot simultaneously be a national health service and a privately-funded patient of the same national health service hospital within the same episode of care.

Ben Bradshaw: Section 1 of the National Health Service Act 2006 (which is essentially the same as section 1 of the original NHS Act of 1946) says that national health service services:
	...must be free of charge except in so far as the making arid recovery of charges is expressly provided for by or under any enactment, whenever passed.
	This prevents NHS bodies from accepting payments for NHS services, unless this is provided for in legislation. It also prevents an NHS body from providing an incomplete package of care which patients then 'top up'.
	Patients can of course obtain additional treatment by becoming a private patient for a separate episode of care.

NHS: Recycling

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS trusts have recycling strategies; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to review the health technical memorandum on managing waste; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department produced the sustainable development: environmental strategy for the NHS in 2005 which advocates that national health service bodies produce locally based strategies and plans of action for a number of environmental aspects, including waste. The Department did not set targets specific for recycling but: rather adopted a more holistic waste management regime based on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair's (DEFRA's) 'Waste not want not report' and the waste strategy recommendations. This aims to prevent waste occurring in the first instance, then advocating a waste hierarchy approach with reduction, reuse and recycling being then addressed.
	The Department does not retain records of those trusts that have produced recycling strategies. In recognising the importance of recycling as part of the waste hierarchy, the Department collects information about waste produced and recycling undertaken by the NHS in England. The NHS reported that on average it recycled 14 per cent. of its waste in 2006-07.
	Health technical memorandum HTM 07-01 'Environment and Sustainability: Safe Management of healthcare waste' was published in 2006 and provides a framework for best practice waste management to help healthcare organisations and other producers to meet legislative requirements. The Department has made plans to review HTM 07-01 during 2008 and is consulting with key stakeholders in DEFRA and the Department for Transport, as well as the regulators, as part of this process.

Polyclinics

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the General Medical Services budget for the next three years has been allocated to be spent on the implementation of the polyclinics recommended in Lord Darzi's review.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are investing an additional 250 million to provide patients with better access to primary care services. This new investment will deliver new general practitioner (GP) led health centres in each primary care trust (PCT) area and over one hundred new GP practices targeted at under-served area. The funding for GP led health centres has been included in PCT revenue allocations, 45 million in 2008-09, 120 million in 2009-10 and 120 million in 2010-11. PCT allocations are deliberately not broken down into individual funding streams as it is for PCTs to decide how best to deliver these new services in view of their local circumstances.

Polyclinics

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's definition of a polyclinic is.

Ben Bradshaw: There is no standard definition of a polyclinic, which is why most of the debate about them is ill informed and inaccurate. Polyclinic is usually a term used to describe a range of possible health service models characterised by the co-location and integration of different services, including those traditionally provided in a hospital setting.
	London Strategic Health Authority has defined polyclinic service models that bring together a range of primary care services, specialist services, urgent care services and social care into either single centres or federated networks of care. However, this model is not being replicated across the country. Local commissioners will determine the scope and scale of these services in collaboration with their clinicians and patients to reflect local needs and circumstances.

Polyclinics

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the polyclinic model of health service delivery does not have an adverse impact on the continuity of care for people with long-term conditions currently afforded by the doctor-patient relationship in primary care.

Ben Bradshaw: Patients with complex and/or multiple long-term conditions may wish to continue to see their registered general practitioner (GP). They may however, choose to register at a GP led health centre and receive at least the same quality and continuity of care delivered by the GP and other primary care clinicians working in these facilities. Additionally, any member of the public may choose to visit a GP led health centres to see a GP or nurse and they can do this whilst still being registered with their own GP.

Polyclinics

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he has a  (a) timetable for the establishment of and  (b) target for the number of polyclinics in London; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what polyclinics  (a) have been established in and  (b) are planned for (i) Greater London and (ii) the south-east; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The organisation of health services are a matter for the national health service at local level. The hon. Member may wish to direct his question to the relevant primary care trust or strategic health authority.

Children: Day Care

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many places there are  (a) with childminders,  (b) in full day care and  (c) in out of school day care in the London borough of Bexley.

Beverley Hughes: Since 2003 Ofsted has been responsible for the registration and inspection of child care providers. The following table shows the number of places for children under eight years of age registered with Ofsted at 31 March 2008 for Bexley local authority.
	
		
			  Number of registered childcare places for children under eight years of age in Bexley( 1) , position at 31 March 2008 
			   Number of places 
			 Childminders 2,100 
			 Full day care 1,400 
			 Out of school day care 1,000 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100.  Source: Ofsted

Departmental Publications

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many guidance notes to  (a) nurseries,  (b) children's centres and  (c) local authorities have been issued by his Department, its predecessors and its agencies in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities, children's centres and nurseries have received a wide range of statutory and non statutory guidance over the last 10 years. This is intended to help front line staff understand and implement effectively their statutory duties and improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.
	Since 2007 we have been keeping information on guidance sent to local authorities. In 2007 we issued 74 guidance documents and so far in 2008 we have issued 27 documents across the whole range of local authority duties and responsibilities including supporting better outcomes for children in care and other vulnerable groups, providing positive activities and opportunities for young people, and supporting better pupil attainment and progression. Information data on the number sent before this date was not routinely collected and would only be possible to find out at disproportionate cost.
	Since 2003 we have issued the following guidance to Sure Start Children's Centres:
	
		
			  Guidance issued to Sure Start Children's Centres 
			   Number 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 2 
			 2007 2 
			 2008 1 
		
	
	The Department has not sent any guidance direct to nurseries.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: My Department was formed on 28 June 2007. My Department offers a range of corporate skills development including formal off the job training, e-learning and access to a range of learning and coaching materials from our learning and development function. All these are linked to the Professional Skills for Government agenda and our business and improvement objectives.
	My Department has also placed great emphasis on good people management. Provision includes line manager coaching and supporting individuals while learning on the job. This is recognised as the most effective way to learn, apply, and develop skills and knowledge.
	Internal programmes are available as follows:
	Leadership;
	Policy Development Skillstailored to meet the needs of my Department;
	Strategic Thinking;
	Analysis and Use of Evidence;
	Programme and Project Management;
	Contract Management;
	Financial Management;
	People Management; and
	Drafting and Writing Skills.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on progress in marking key stage tests in the 2007-08 academic year; and what plans he has to improve the performance of marking contractor EDS;
	(2)  when  (a) the National Assessment Agency,  (b) his Department and  (c) he was first informed of the recent performance in relation to marking of the national curriculum tests; what remedial steps were taken; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The administration and marking of national curriculum tests, as part of the process for maintaining standards, is a function of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) that is delivered independently of Government. The National Assessment Agency (NAA) manages the marking process with ETS Europe on the QCA's behalf. The QCA is fully accountable for the delivery of national tests and reports formally to the Department through Management Boards and the supply of regular management information. The QCA/NAA have kept the Department informed about the new test delivery arrangements and the improvements to marking quality throughout the preparation for test delivery.
	I take a close interest in national curriculum test delivery. My officials are in regular contact with the National Assessment Agency and keep me informed of progress. David Gee, Managing Director of the NAA, will write to the hon. member about the progress of the marking of the key stage tests and the action they are taking to support their new contractor, ETS Europe, in delivering this summer's tests. A copy of his letter has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from David Gee, dated 12 June 2008:
	I have been asked to write to you in response to your parliamentary question about the progress of the marking of key stage tests and any plans for improving the performance of ETS.
	This year because of the deployment of technology in to the marking process, it is the first time the NAA has had specific information on marking progress available. As at 11 June, 59.7 per cent. of papers have been marked with marks securely entered online.
	The NAA has been collating performance data and feedback from schools, markers and exam officers throughout the current test cycle. The NAA will ensure that ETS uses this information to make improvements for future cycles and we will use contractual penalties where there has been poor performance.

Education: Young Offender Institutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many hours of education on average were provided to looked-after children in young offenders institutions in each of the last three years; and if he will review their educational programme.

Beverley Hughes: Data are collected on the number of looked after children in YOIs but specific education data are not collected separately. There is a statutory duty on local authorities to promote the educational achievement of looked after children, including those in custody. To comply with this duty, local authorities work in partnership with the YOI to ensure that individual learning needs are met and that care planning reviews continue during custody and facilitate access to education while the young person is detained. Youth Justice Board figures show that all juveniles in young offender institutions received the following average number of hours education, training and personal development activity per week:
	
		
			  Year  Number of looked after children in YOIs  Average hours education per week for all young people 
			 2004-05 110 24.50 
			 2005-06 140 28.24 
			 2006-07 160 26.20 
		
	
	We will be making proposals to improve the education of all juvenile offenders in the forthcoming Youth Crime Action Plan in the summer.

Extracurricular Activities: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children used after-school clubs in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Information is not centrally collected on the number and percentage of children who use after school clubs, as part of the extended school programme, in West Chelmsford.

First Aid: Education

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which local authorities are engaged in partnerships with local ambulance services and local schools to provide first aid training for school pupils; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to support partnerships between local authorities and ambulance services to provide first aid training for school pupils; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  which schools in Essex provide first aid training for their pupils through a partnership between the local authority and Essex Ambulance Service; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: My Department does not collect information on the number of schools providing first aid training for pupils, whether in partnership with local ambulance services or not, nor on which local authorities have arrangements with local ambulance services for such training. It is for schools to determine if and how they teach children about the principles and practice of first aid, and my Department has provided guidance to schools on this. We welcome cooperation between schools and partners such as local ambulance services, but do not prescribe with whom schools should work to deliver education on specific issues; that is for schools to decide for themselves.

Morning Star

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many copies of the Morning Star publication his Department and each of its agencies procures each week; and at what cost.

Kevin Brennan: This question can be answered only at disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure on newspapers as recorded on the Departments integrated financial information system comes under the general heading of Books and Newspapers. DCSF is therefore unable to identify centrally whether specific publications are or have been purchased or the individual costs involved.
	The Department does not have any executive agencies.

Schools: Admissions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary maintained schools use oversubscription criteria based on religious practice or adherence in their admissions arrangements, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: The latest figures published by the Department show that in January 2007 there were 6,255 maintained primary schools and 587 maintained secondary schools designated by the Secretary of State as having a religious character. These schools are permitted to use faith-based oversubscription criteria in order to give higher priority to children who are members of, or practice, their faith. The Department does not collect information on how many of these schools do or do not use faith-based oversubscription criteria.